AnxietyDo you worry about what will happen and feel uncertain about the future?
|
Anxiety refers to a range of symptoms including difficulty sleeping, experiencing muscle tension, racing thoughts and feeling jittery. It is usually accompanied by thoughts worrying about the future. Often these thoughts will start with the words "what if...?". These thoughts have many particular attributes such as being catastrophic, which means thinking that the absolute worst will happen. Anxiety can also involve intrusive thoughts coming into your mind that you don't want to be thinking. Often when you are experiencing anxiety, you have trouble getting to sleep at night and you can find yourself lying in bed going over and over different worries in your mind.
Different situations can trigger anxiety for different people, such as new and unfamiliar places, crowded and cramped places, or particular stressors in your life. Anxiety can come in many different forms, such as worrying about social situations and what people think of you, worrying about germs or contamination, or worrying about doing things perfectly. Some people experience a generalised form of anxiety where they worry most of the time about most things. |
DepressionDo you feel down, flat, tired and unmotivated?
|
Depression involves symptoms of feeling flat and sad, losing interest in things you used to enjoy, lacking motivation for things you used to do, feeling like you have no energy, having difficulty sleeping, and feeling tired and fatigued.
Depression is usually accompanied by regretful thoughts about the past. These thoughts often start with "if only..." and make you feel sad and regretful when you think them. Depression can also often involve hopeless thoughts about the future, such as "it won't get any better". These thoughts tend to be black-and-white, which is the tendency to think in extremes. Sometimes low mood can be triggered by a major stressful event in our lives such as losing a loved one, becoming unemployed or retiring, but other times it can be the result of many small factors. |
Chronic Health ConditionsDo you struggle with constant pain?
|
Because no one can see the pain someone else experiences, we are often unaware of the prevalence of people experiencing distress as they live with chronic pain or other health conditions, such as tinnitus or chronic fatigue or irritable bowel syndrome. Research indicates that 1 in 5 Australians aged 45 years and older experience chronic pain, which is a persistent pain that lasts more than three months and occurs most days of the week. It is estimated that in 2020, 3.37 million Australians were living with chronic pain. There are also many other physical health conditions that cause psychological distress as well as physical distress, and these are often invisible to someone looking on, making the experience of coping with it feel lonely and isolating.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help people cope chronic health conditions by identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and patterns of thinking, as well as identifying and changing behavioural patterns that can feed into the distress of living with the chronic condition. Learning how to deal with stress and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression can also help you cope more effectively with the chronic health condition. |
Trauma and PTSD Do you have intrusive memories or flashbacks about a traumatic event and try to push those thoughts and associated feelings away? Do you feel numb, empty or detached? Are you more irritable and angry to others?
|
While it's normal to feel shaken after a traumatic experience, PTSD occurs when those reactions don't fade over time and begin to interfere with daily life. To meet the criteria for a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a person must experience four core types of symptoms:
The good news is PTSD is treatable. One of the most effective, evidence-based treatments is trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT). In fact, many international studies have shown that CBT is the most effective treatment available for PTSD. You can seek help for PTSD even if the trauma occurred a long time ago. There is no time limit on these feelings, but the sooner you get support, the sooner you can start to feel better. |
Dr Nowlan has a special interest in the assessment and treatment of trauma and PTSD.
For more information on recovering from trauma, visit illawarratraumaclinic.au
For more information on recovering from trauma, visit illawarratraumaclinic.au
Support Services Across Australia
24-hr CRISIS SUPPORTPolice and Ambulance: 000
Lifeline: 131 114 Suicide Callback Helpline: 1300 659 467 Mensline: 1300 789 978 Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800 |
How do I book an appointment?
Reach out by email or phone to book an appointment
